August 16, 2007 -- A newly discovered nickel mine in Hami is estimated to contain reserves of over 15.8 million tons of the metal, it therefore ranks as China's second largest nickel mine, said Xinhua News Agency.

According to the administration office in Hami, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, around 900,000 tons of nickel has already been detected.

Some local copper and nickel mining enterprises are reported to have begun operation, with Xinjiang Nonferrous Metals Group mining company running its nickel smelter crude production furnace at Hami Industrial Park.

The Hami area is located in the eastern part of Xinjiang. It is famous for its large amount of high quality raw resources with 76 kinds of metals already detected. The major mineral resources of this area include coal, iron, copper, nickel, gold, said Xinhua.